Constitution Hill claimed a comfortable victory in the Aintree Hurdle on the opening day of the Grand National meeting.
The Champion Hurdle winner, who went off 2-15 favourite, led from start to finish and was never challenged.
It was a seventh win out of seven under rules for the stellar six-year-old.
Earlier, Shishkin, also trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Nico de Boinville, came late to win the Aintree Bowl.
Constitution Hill has been one of the stars of the season with wins in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle and the Christmas Hurdle, while his victory at Cheltenham saw him acclaimed as “the horse of a generation”.
De Boinville had his charge well in front on the Liverpool track and although his rivals closed the gap slightly on the home turn, the jockey was easily able to push the unbeaten gelding to a three-length victory .
Sharjah came late to beat Zanahiyr into second, with last year’s winner Epatante, another Henderson charge, in fourth.
All eyes will be on the path Constitution Hill takes next season, with Henderson set to give him a schooling session over fences in the coming weeks before a decision is made.
“It couldn’t be simpler,” Henderson told ITV Racing. “It’s been in second gear the whole way.
“His versatility is amazing. You can do anything with him. We knew he was going to have to make the beat, so we just said keep it simple.
“We’ll talk about what happens next. We have all kinds of options.”
It was the second half of a remarkable Henderson brace following Shishkin’s hit.
The nine-year-old had finished second to Envoi Allen at Cheltenham but looked unwell that day following a diagnosis of a bone condition after the 2022 Festival and a disappointing start to this campaign.
Henderson and the team have worked hard to iron out the issues and Shishkin looked more animated in his first race over three miles and a furlong.
Although Ahoy Senor reached the last front, Shishkin jumped it better and had the momentum, getting a head in front to win by a length and a half.
In the Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase, the race over fences in the Grand National and restricted to amateur riders, the famous Clermont gave Will Biddick his first victory.
“I’ve had 20 seasons now,” he said. “I’ve had a few seconds and I’ve been knocking on the door.
“It’s very important for the fans to win this race – here and Cheltenham are our gold cups. To do that is very important.”
However, there was some sad news from the race as the Envoye Special suffered a fatal injury.
